Analog Devices

Delivering Solutions for 40 Years

Analog Devices, Inc. (ADI) is a world leader in the design and manufacture of analog, mixed-signal, and DSP integrated circuits used in all types of electronic equipment. The company is well known for their breakthroughs and achievements, demonstrating the agility and creativity necessary to thrive in this rapidly evolving world of ours.

Compugraphics is proud to say that we have been manufacturing photomasks for ADI for 40 years and have partnered with the company to understand and meet the needs of the business.

Partnership

As part of their product and process development programme, ADI engineers identified systematic variation in electrical test measurement from critical devices and considered that this effect may be due to variations in the photomasks. The systematic variation was also present when masks were sourced from other vendors so ADI approached Compugraphics to help identify the root cause of this variation and to recommend an appropriate course of action.

Analysis

Compugraphics’ engineers worked closely with the ADI team in order to identify and quantify the source of this effect. Duplicate reticles were manufactured to allow extensive CD metrology to determine the presence (or absence) of this variation on the mask. After many hundreds of measurements and data analysis we detected a small (1/10th of the manufacturing CD tolerance) systematic variation in linewidth on the photomask at a frequency that scaled to that found by ADI on their silicon. This variation was consistent with the system architecture and write strategy of the mask lithography tool being used.

Working with one of our high technology partners, a new reticle was manufactured and CD metrology at Compugraphics confirmed that the variation had been reduced significantly before it went in to evaluation by ADI.

The Results

The systematic effect was significantly reduced, and as a result of Compugraphics’ efforts, ADI have achieved a 3 times reduction in variation of these critical products.

Due to our team working closely with ADI and Compugraphics’ ability to collaborate with high technology partners, we were able to identify the root cause of this effect and provide a product to support ADI’s development programme.

Compugraphics is an integral part of the Limerick Wafer Fabrication manufacturing and deliver a 1st Class Reticle Procurement service to our facility.